We need to mobilize the following groups to activate our global climate change response:
- Calling Climate Scientists! We need you to keep us accountable to our emission reduction work and goals.
- Calling Entrepreneurs! We need you to create new industry pathways (quickly!), including converting emission-intense industries to sustainable alternatives, accelerating carbon removal technologies and innovating climate adaptation solutions. Simply put: change what we do, reverse what we’ve done & help us adapt to our evolving climate.
- Calling Environmental Stewards & Land Guardians! We need to work together to protect the land and biodiversity that have been cared for by Indigenous communities for generations, as well as restore those ecosystems that have been harmed along the way.
- Calling All Humans! We each have an active role to play in advocating for a sustainable future for all (not just some). This means voting, changing your behaviors, and using your voice to call for a more just world as part of our transition.
We also need the power levers to be in favor of climate stability and climate justice. Specifically we need:
- Policies that favor innovation and a carbon-free society
- Laws that advance and uphold environmental accountability and provide protection for all communities (particularly those that are most impacted by the climate crisis)
- Money to fund the transition to a more sustainable, just and climate-adapted economy
Communications as a Catalyst
Within this Climate Action Ecosystem, where do climate communicators and sustainability public relations practitioners sit?
Enviromental communicators are historically known to be the “amplifiers” of singular climate solutions. This means using communications to raise awareness & educate the market. While this work is important, it’s also only the baseline of what’s possible.
Climate communicators are in fact the missing link in climate action: communicators are “enablers” that facilitate relationships across the Climate Action Ecosystem.
This is essential because each group in the ecosystem is interdependent on others. Here’s some simplified examples of relationships that communicators can foster between different groups:
- Connecting climate scientists with government decision-makers to ensure their research recommendations are heard and actioned
- Introducing climate entrepreneurs to investors to secure funding to bring solutions to market
- Fostering allyship between conservationists and lawyers working to strengthen legal protection of the environment
In summary, collective action is a force multiplier when it comes to tackling the climate crisis — and this is where the true catalytic potential of communications lies.
So, wherever you may sit in the Climate Action Ecosystem, consider the potential of climate communications. If you — like me — are an active participant in climate action, DM me or contact us at Yulu & let’s chat about how we can collaborate and scale on climate action, together.